October 24, 1996
12:00 AM (EDT)

News Release Number: STScI-1996-33

Hubble Makes Movie of Neptune's Rotation and Weather

October 24, 1996: The Hubble telescope has been used to assemble a time-lapse color movie showing a full 16-hour rotation of the distant planet Neptune. The movie, made from a series of Hubble observations over nine consecutive orbits, allows astronomers to track cloud motion on the planet. The clear pictures reveal the planet's powerful equatorial jet stream, immense storms, and dark spot in the Northern Hemisphere.

These snapshots provide views of the weather on opposite hemispheres. The photos disclose features of Neptune's blustery weather.